Ontario gymnastics coach Scott McFarlane, 28, has been arrested for sexual assault on a minor, the third Canadian coach accused of sexual misconduct with young girls in the past two months.

A gymnastics coach from Mississauga, Ontario, has been arrested for sexual assault on a minor, the third Canadian coach accused of sexual misconduct with young girls in the past two months.

Scott McFarlane, 28, turned himself in on Sunday, three days after a Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued for him, regional police reported on Tuesday.

The Peel Regional Police said that a 15-year-old girl contacted law enforcement in early January to allege that her gymnastics coach had engaged in sexual activity with her over a four-year period.

McFarlane appeared in court on Monday and was charged one count each of sexual assault, sexual interference, luring a child under 16, making sexually explicit material available to a child under 16 and indecent exposure to a child. He was released on bail.

McFarlane coached for four years at Manjak's Gym in Mississauga until he was terminated last October. His dismissal was related to his social media activity, owner Kelly Manjak told CBC Toronto.

McFarlane was a provincial-level gymnast in Ontario, where he trained at Tumblers Gymnastics Centre in Orleans. He finished 25th all-around in the Open category at the 2012 Canadian Gymnastics Championships in Regina, Saskatchewan.

Manjak said that when he hired McFarlane, he provided references and a police background check. McFarlane had also worked in Ottawa and Oakville. Gymnastics BC stated that McFarlane had coached at summer camps in British Columbia.

"At Manjak's, we're devastated," said Manjak, who said he has not seen McFarlane since October. "Today I got the news myself... so it definitely affects us and my heart goes out to the victim."

"Our policies in our club are going to tighten up, obviously," Manjak told CBC Toronto. "Hopefully we can continue to eliminate this kind of situation in our sport."

McFarlane has been suspended indefinitely by both Gymnastics Ontario and Gymnastics Canada.

Gymnastics Ontario CEO Dave Sandford said Tuesday that Gymnastics Ontario was aware of a previous allegation against McFarlane, and in October the provincial federation suspended McFarlane for three months. Sandford said he was not able to discuss any other details of the first allegation, per the federation's policies.

In a statement, Gymnastics Canada Chairman Richard Crépin offered support for the gymnast who made the accusation again McFarlane.

"Our hearts go out to the victim in this case," Crépin said, "and we want her, and the rest of our community to know that we will not rest until this type of behaviour no longer finds a home in the sport of gymnastics."

In the spring of 2017, Gymnastics Canada began an overhaul of its policies in the wake of the ongoing sexual abuse scandal at USA Gymnastics that has stunned the gymnastics world. In a two month-span, McFarlane is the third coach suspended by Gymnastics Canada for sexual misconduct following Michel Arsenault and Canadian women's national coach Dave Brubaker in December.

In early December, Arsenault was accused of sexually abusing three former gymnasts in the 1980s and '90s in Quebec. Arsenault was suspended by Gymnastics Canada but not charged with any crimes. However, last week, the Sûreté du Québec announced it was actively investigating an unidentified gymnastics coach after seven women came forward to file complaints alleging sexual assault in the early 1990s, when they were then between 7 to 20 years old. Radio-Canada Sports confirmed the individual being investigated was Arsenault, who left Quebec in 1994 and settled in Edmonton, Alberta.

In mid-December, Brubaker was arrested and charged with 10 offenses relating to sexual misconduct with a minor in Sarnia, Ontario. A publication ban has been placed on the case to protect the identity of the individual making the accusation. Brubaker was released on bail and is due in court on February 6.

"Gymnastics Canada has a zero-tolerance policy for any type of behaviour that puts the safety and well-being of our participants at risk," Crépin said. "More than words though, it's actions that count. Our top priority is building a safe environment for our participants by enhancing the policies and mechanisms we have in place so that our athletes and coaches are safe and secure and so parents feel confident that their children are safe. We are also working in close collaboration with our provincial partners to develop updated policies and to ensure alignment in key areas such as background screening, conduct, and the development of a safe sport framework that will focus on policies, procedures, education, and alignment throughout the system."

The Peel Regional Police, which covers the municipalities of Brampton, Caledon and Mississauga, has asked anyone with information to come forward and stated they are looking for other alleged victims.

Anyone with information in relation to this incident is asked to contact investigators at the Special Victims Unit at 905-453-2121, ext. 3460. Anonymous information may also be submitted by calling Peel Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477), by visiting www.peelcrimestoppers.ca or by sending a text message to CRIMES (274637) with the word "PEEL" and then your tip.

Your are currently browsing this site with Internet Explorer 6 (IE6).

Your current web browser must be updated to version 7 of Internet Explorer (IE7) to take advantage of all of template's capabilities.

Why should I upgrade to Internet Explorer 7? Microsoft has redesigned Internet Explorer from the ground up, with better security, new capabilities, and a whole new interface. Many changes resulted from the feedback of millions of users who tested prerelease versions of the new browser.
The most compelling reason to upgrade is the improved security. The Internet of today is not the Internet of five years ago. There are dangers that simply didn't exist back in 2001, when Internet Explorer 6 was released to the world. Internet Explorer 7 makes surfing the web fundamentally safer by offering greater protection against viruses, spyware, and other online risks.

Get free downloads for Internet Explorer 7, including recommended updates as they become available. To download Internet Explorer 7 in the language of your choice, please visit the Internet Explorer 7 worldwide page.